Air-controlling valve.



H. L. RIDER. AIR CONTROLLING VALVE. APPLICATION 11.21: ooT. 21, 1913.

1,1 3 1 ,420. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 1 F E- X THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. EHOTO-LITHOHWASHINGTUNHIIJ C.

H. L. RIDER. AIR CONTROLLING VALVE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 21, 1913.

13 1 ,420. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I TE-E- 30 I i t r m L 50"" i I l 38 Q VMMW ma THE NORRIS PETERS C0PHOTGLITHO WASHINGTON. h

UNITED STATES PATENT UFFlCE.

HARRY L. RIDER, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-CONTROLLING VALVE.

Application filed October 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. RIDER, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Oil City, in the county of Venango and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAirControlling Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inaircontrolling valves, and relates particularly to that type of valveemployed in connection with railway signaling systems and used forautomatically applying the air-brakes of the train in event the engineerfails to observe a stop signal displayed against the train.

These valves are sometimes designated in the art as air-release valves,and the broad object of my invention is to provide a valve of this typehaving a piston normally mechanically held in position to shut off theescape of air from the train line, but which piston is normally undertrain-line air pressure whereby the movement of the piston whenoperatedwill be rapid and effective to promptly exhaust air from the train lineto apply the brakes of the train.

A further object of the invention is to provide a valve of this typewith means for automatically returning the piston of the valve to normalposition so as to shut off the escape of air from the train line.

With the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter morefully appear as the invention is described in detail, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and indescribing the mvention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and whereinlike numerals of reference will be employed to designate like partsthroughout the dilferent views of the drawings in which Figure 1 ispartially in side elevation and partially in vertical section of an aircontrolling valve constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 isa top plan view of the valve seat of the valve mechanism, the air chestwith which the train line communicates being removed. Fig. 3 is anunderneath plan View of the valve removed from the air chest. Fig. 4 isa detail sectional View of a part of the cylinder of the Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 796,506.

controlling valve. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the trip leverand its support. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a controllingvalve partially in section and partially broken away showing a modifiedform of construction in which the piston is returned to normal positionby means of a spring in lieu of the air-return form shown in Fig. 1,and, Fig. 7 is a similar view of an air controlling valve showing howthe device may be constructed to utilize either air or a spring or bothair and the spring for returning the piston to normal position.

In connection with railway signals wherein means is provided forautomatically applying the air brakes of a train in event the engineerdisregards a stop signal, it is the practice to provide means (such as avalve mechanism) carried by the engine, and which has a trip or leveradapted to be engaged by a track instrument for operating the valvemechanism to apply the brakes. The track instrument is under control ofthe signal, so that normally, that is when the signal is clear, theinstrument is held out of the way of the trip or lever of thetraincarried valve mechanism.

The present invention is confined to the valve mechanism per 86, andsince it may be employed with various forms of track instruments thelatter is not shown or described in detail in this application, a trackinstrument such as shown and described in mv application, Serial No.480,506 being applicable for the actuation of the trip or lever of thedevice. Devices of the character herein involved are suitably supportedat a desirable point on the engine, and they are so located in practice,that the engineer has no control over same during the running of thetrain, that is, should the brakes be automatically applied by thedevice, the engineer cannot during the continued running of the train,reset the device, but must dismount from the engine in order to gainaccess to the device to reset same that the train may proceed.

The embodiment of the device herein shown consists of a cylinder 10 atthe upper end of which is a valve chest 11 in communi cation with thetrain pipe 1:2 through a suitable connection, as pipe 14:, so that trainline pressure normally obtains in the chamber 15 of the valve chest 11.The train pipe 12 is in communication with the engineers valve (notshown) through pipe 16. The bottom 17 of the valve chest 11 constitutesthe upper head of the cylinder l0,'and also forms a valve seat throughwhich is a port 18 establishing communication between the chamber andthe chamber 19 in the cylinder 10. This valve seat 17 is also providedwith grooves .40, 21, 22 and 23 respectively, the said grooves extendingtransversely of the bottom though of less length than the transversewidth of the bottom, and being equally spaced from each other.

Mounted in the chamber 15 of the valve chest 11 is a valve 21 providedon the lower face thereof with channels or cavities 25 and 26 and whichvalve is also provided at one end with a stem or valve rod 28 whichprojects through a casing 27 carried by the valve chest 11 and ispreferably provided at its outer end with a button or knob 29. Suitablepacking 30 is provided in the casing 27 to prevent air from leakingalong the rod, and on said rod within the casing 27, between a collar orabutment 31 on the rod and the inner end of the casing, is a spring 32,the function of which is to normally hold the valve 24 in the positionshown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In the cylinder 10 is a piston 33, the rod 3% of which projectsdownwardly through the lower head 35 of the cylinder and is pro vided onits lower end with a head 86, the lower face of which head is preferablymade segment-shaped as best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and whichbears upon the rounded upper end of the tripping lever or element 37.This tripping lever or element 37 is pivotally-hung in a suitable hanger38 depending from the lower head 35 of the cylinder 10. The saidtripping element is adapted to be engaged by the track instrument 39 andwhen so engaged be rocked on its pivot to remove the upper end fromunder the head 36 of the piston rod, and allow the air on top of thepiston 33 to force the latter downward and permit escape of air from thetrain line to apply the brakes.

Tapped into one side of the cylinder 1.0 is a pipe 40 which at its outerend communicates with a tank 41 having a capacity sufficient to retain.enough air for utilization as means for returning the piston to normalor running'position, as will be hereinafter more fully described. In thepipe +10 is a check valve 42 to prevent air flowing back from tank 41 tothe cyl nder 10 when communication is established between the said tankand cylinder, and'a globe valve 413 for regulating the quantity of airpassing to the tank 11. The pipe -10 it is to be noted, communicateswith the cylinder 10 at a point where the piston 33 normally acts as avalve to close the inlet end of the pipe t0 as clearlyseen in Figs. 1, 6and 7 of the drawings.

A relief valve 4 1 is carried by the tank 41 1 said head into thechamber 19 through which all air in excess of the amount necessary forthe return of the piston to normal position escapes to the atmoshere.With the apparatus as constructed in the illustration given in Fig. 1,the entrapped air in the tank 451 is led to the chamber 19 of thecylinder 10 (such chamber being below the piston 33) by a pipe 45leading from the tank 41 to and connecting with a port a6 extendinginwardly from one 2' side edge of the bottom plate or valve seat 17 ofthe valve chest 11 and communicating with groove 22 in said valve seat.In the same side edge of the valve seat 17 is a port 47 which, at itsinner end, communicates with groove 21 of said valve seat, and at itsouter end communicates with a vertical port as formed in a boss 19 onthe wall of the cylinder 10, the port 18 at its lower end comiminicatingwith an inwardly-leading port 50 in the cylinder head and openingupwardly at its inner end through of the cylinder 10. An exhaust port 51is also provided in the valve seat 17 of the valve chest which portcommunicates with the groove 20 of said valve seat.

Since the device is adapted to automatically set the air brakes if theengineer disregards a danger or stop signal, it is obvious thatprovision must be made so that the engineer has no control over thebrakes until he stops his train and resets the device after operation bythe track instrument. To accomplish this. I close the pipe 16 byproviding a T 52 in the pipe 10 with which I connect pipe 54: leading tothe engineers brake valve pipe 16, interposing between the pipe 5 1 andpipe 16, a check valve 55 which inav be of any desired or approved form.

With the device connected up and arranged as shown in Fig. 1, it will beobserved that with the valve 24 in the position shown, train linepressure obtains in the chamber 19 above piston 83, by reason of port 18in valve seat 1'? being open, the piston 33 being held in this positionby the pivoted lever 37. In this position of the piston 33, the inletend of pipe -10 is closed so that no air can pass to the tank 41. Then,however, in event the track instrument 39 is set so as to engage thetrip lever 37, the said lever is rocked to one side, thus removing thesupport for the piston 33 and rod 3 1, allowing the piston to drop, suchmovement of the piston being accelerated by the pressure of air on topthereof, uncovering the inlet to pipe i0, and allowing the air from thetrain line to pass through pipe to, check valve 42, globe valve 43 andinto tank 41 and escapes to the atmosphere through the safety or reliefvalve 4 1 which is set to allow the train line to blow down to thedesired pressure, this exhaust of air from the train line applying thebrakes in the usual manner. The relief valve 44 is adjusted'so as toretain a sutlicient quantity of air in the tank ll for the return of theapparatus to running position, or in other words, utilized to reset theapparatus ready for the next operation. To reset the apparatus, theengineer pushes the rod :28 inwardly until channel or passage in valve2% registers with port 18 and groove 20 and channel or passage 26registers with grooves 21, 22. This movement of the valve 2% closes port18 to the train line air shutting off air pressure from the chamber 19above the piston, and permitting the air which is in said chamber toescape to the atmosphere through port 18, channel. or passage 25, groove20 and eX- haust port 51. At the same time, the entrapped air in thetank 41 leaves the tank by way of pipe and enters the valve seat throughport 46 and groove 22, and escapes from said groove through channel orpassage 26 and port 4-? to port a8 and through port into chamber 19below the piston,

and pressure'of air having been relieved from the top of the piston,this air admitted into the cylinder below the piston, raises the latterto normal position, and the engineer resets lever 37 in its vertical ornormal position. On relieving the pressure which has been applied to thevalve rod or stem 28 to shift the valve 24 as above described, thespring 32 returns the valve 24 to its normal position, so that port 18is again opened, channel or passage 25 registers with grooves 20 and 21and channel or passage 26 registers with grooves 22 and 23, and trainline air again enters chamber 19 on top of the piston 33 so as to forcethe head 36 firmly upon trip lever 37. The piston is now in its normalposition again, and the air which was admitted to chamber 19 forresetting the piston is free to exhaust through ports 50, 48, L7, groove21, channel or passage 25, groove 20 and port 51 to the atmosphere.

, It will be noted that by the use of pipe 5st and check valve 55thebrake pipe is out of the control of the engineer when an automaticapplication of the brakes is made by the track instrument, since some ofthe train line air passing from chamber 19 when the device is operated,passes into pipe S l'and closes check valve 55 shutting offcommunication between the engineers valve and the train line, absolutelyassuring a stopping of the train by the automatic application of thebrakes. i

lVith the construction shown in Fi g. 6, the connection with the trainline is the same as that shown in Fig. 1 and above described, though inthis construction I dispense with the tank and all the cooperating meansfor entrapping and utilizing a quantity of the air for returning thepiston to normal position. In lieu thereof, I provide a spring 56 on thepiston rod as between the piston 33 andhead 35 andmountthe safety orrelief valve 44: directly on the end of pipe 40. With this construction,when the valve 2% is forced inwardly so as to close port 18. the

p g 56 overcomes the pressure of the smallamount oi air remaining inchamber 19 and returns piston 33 to normal position. so that the triplever 37 may be positioned under the head 36 to hold the pistonelevated. The parts'being otherwise the same, the same referencenumerals have been applied thereto.

Tn Fig. 7, I show the device equipped so that either air or the spring,or both, may be utilized for the return of the piston to nor malposition, or in other words for the resetting of the apparatus. In thisarrangement, the construction is identical with Fig. .l, with theaddition of the spring 56 employed in the form shown in Fig. 6, and thefur-- ther addition of a globe valve 57 in the pipe 5. \Vith thisconstruction, when utilizing the spring 56 alone to return the piston 33to normal position, the globe valve 57 is closed so as to shut off theflow of air from the tank 41 to chamber 1H and when using the air forreturn of the piston, this valve is opened so as to permit passage ofair from the tank 4-] to the chamber 19 and the later exhaust of thisair in the same manner as described for the construction shown in Fig.1.

By providing the check valve 42 air is prevented from flowing back intothe cylinder and the globe valve 4-3 permits of a reg ulation of the airso as to produce a slow setting of the brakes, an ordinary serviceapplication, an intermediate application, or an emergency application asmay be desired.

The provision of the means for resetting the apparatus relieves theengineer or" any trouble whatever in again placing the parts in positionso that he may proceed with his train under caution until he determineswhether the succeeding signal block is clear.

While I have herein described in detail the preferable embodiments ofthe invention as the same has been practised by me, yet it is obviousthat various changes in the details of construction may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theaccompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In an air controlling valve for air brakes, the combination. with atrain line, a cylinder in communication therewith, a piston in saidcylinder, an air outlet from said cylinder, a pivotally-supported. triplever supporting the piston to normally hold the piston in position toclose said outlet, a valve adapted when actuated to close communicationbetween the train line and the cylinder, and constituting a means forreturning the piston to normal position to permit resetting ofthe'trip-lever and means'for closing com munication between the'trainline and brakepipe when said cylinder outlet is opened.

2. In an air controlling valve for air brakes, a cylinder incommunication with the air brake train'line, a piston in said cyl inderhaving the rod thereof extending through the lower end of the cylinder,means pivotally suspended beneath thecyl inder for supporting the pistonand normally holding said piston in an elevated position, means forshutting off thetrain line air pressure from the cylinder,- means' forreturning the piston to itsnormal position after the cylinder is shutoff from train line air pressureconsisting of a valve adapted to beactuated to close communication between the train line and saidcylinder, and means for closing communication between the train line andbrake-pipe when said cylinder outlet is opened.

3. In an air controlling valve for air brakes, an air receiving cylindernormally in open communication with the train line of the brake systemand having an outlet port, means within the cylinder for closing saidoutlet port, pivotally-supported means beneath the cylinder for normallysupporting the port closing means in closing position, a valve adaptedto be actuated to close communication between the train line and saidcylinder to return the port-closing means to normal position to permitre-setting said pivotally-supported means, and means for closingcommunication between the train line and brake-pipe when said cylinderoutlet is opened.

4. In an air controlling valve for automatic application of air brakes,the combination with the train line and the brake pipe of a brakesystem, of a cylinder nor mally in communication with the train line andhaving an outlet, a piston in said cylinder normally held in position toclose said outlet and normally subjected to train line air pressure, apiston rod, a trip lever engaging the piston rod and holding said pistonin normal position, means for closing communication between the trainline and the cylinder when the trip-lever is actuated to permit movementof the piston and consequent opening of the cylinder outlet, and meansfor closing communication between the train line and the brake pipe ofthe brake system when said cylinder outlet is opened.

5. In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination withthe train line and the brake-pipe of an air brake system, of an airreceiving cylinder normally in communication with the train line andhaving an outlet port, means for keeping saidport 'normally' closed, aIid IhanS where'- by'" when said outlet is opened, communication betweenthe brakepipe and the train lineisclosed thus relieving the engineer ofbrakecontrol and insuring an automatic application of the brakes by thetrack device.

6. In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination withthe train line and the'brake pipe of an air brake systerm incommunication one with the other, of an air receiving cylinder normallyin communication' with the train line and having an outlet, a piston insaid cylinder normally closing said cylinder outlet and normallysubjected to' train line air pressure, means for normally holding saidpiston stationary and in a position to close said cylinder outlet, meansfor closing communication between the train line and the cylinder whenthe piston holding means is released and the piston is permitted to movein the cylinder to uncover the cylinder outlet, and means forautomatically closing communication between the train line and brakepipe when the cylinder outletis opened.

7 In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination withthe train line of an air brake system, of an air receiving cylindernormally in communication with said train line and having an outlet, apiston in said cylinder, means for normally holding said piston inposition to close said outlet, means for closing communication betweenthe train line and said cylinder when the piston holding means isreleased and the piston has been permitted to move to uncover saidoutlet, and means for automatically returning said piston to normalposition when communication between the train line and the cylinder hasbeen closed.

8. In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination withthe train line and the brake pipe of an air brake system, of an airreceiving cylinder normally in communication with the train line andhaving an outlet, a piston in the cylinder for normally closing saidoutlet, a trip-lever for holding said piston in normal position, amanually-operable valve for closing communication between the train lineand cylinder after the trip lever has been actuated to permit movementof the piston and the resultant opening of the cylinder outlet, andmeans for closing communication between the train line and the brakepipe of the brake system when said cylinder outlet is opened.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY L. RIDER.

Witnesses:

J. D. TRAX, l/VM. M. PARKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

